Through the years, toy dolls have provided a substantial portion of the amusement and entertainment devices used by young children in a variety of ages. While dolls have been fabricated in a variety of configurations, the most popular variety is fabricated to generally represent a young human or human infant. To provide for additional play and entertainment value in dolls and toy figures, fabricators have provided devices which simulate one or more of the typical human actions. Examples of such action dolls have included dolls which walk, talk, crawl, climb and mimic other human activities. In addition, dolls are often fabricated to be utilized in mimicking the various care activities carried on by a human mother with her infant. Examples of such care activity dolls include dolls which are fabricated to be bathed, fed or be repeatedly dressed. Additional dolls have been fabricated which simulate other infant activities such as wetting and diaper changing.
Despite the great number of dolls and play activities provided thereby, there arises a continuing need for ever more interesting and varied doll features. One aspect of doll feature enhancement which has been explored by practitioners in the art concerns providing dolls having changeable features of one type or another. An example of such changeable dolls is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,257,188 issued to Barker which sets forth TOY DOLLS AND FIGURINES HAVING SURFACE PROPORTIONS OF REVERSIBLY CHANGEABLE COLOR in which toy dolls are shown having skins or exterior surfaces repeatedly capable of reversibly changing color. The skin is coated with a sealant primer base of hydrophobic material which in turn is covered with a color layer characterized by an acid base indicating material. A top coat is placed upon the acid base indicating material. The doll then may be exposed either to acidic or basic solutions which cause the coloring material to respond with color changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,921,407 issued to Wagner, et al. sets forth SIMULATING SUN BURNING TOY DOLLS AND FIGURINES which are coated with a light responsive material such that exposure to light changes the color appearance of the doll.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,351 issued to Porter sets forth a FIGURE TOY INJURY SIMULATING APPARATUS AND METHOD in which a plastic patch simulating a skin blemish or injury is placed on the outer surface of a doll or figure toys skin. A simulated bandage having a strong adhesive coating at its interior is placed upon the outer skin overlying the simulated injury. When the bandage is removed, the adhesive of the bandage adheres to the simulated injury patch with sufficient strength to pull the injury simulating patch leaving behind an unblemished skin surface having the appearance of being healed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,891 issued to Barnett, et al. sets forth a DOLL which simulates various childhood injuries and illnesses such as measle spots, chicken pox or the gradual swelling of the throat associated with mumps. Means are provided for "treating " the doll's apparent abnormalities using miniaturized medical apparatus.
U.S. Pat. No. 408,609 issued to Freeland sets forth an ADVERTISING DEVICE in which a moving conveyor belt apparatus includes a path extending through a body of confined water. A human figure is disposed upon the moving conveyor belt and is carried through the water and thereafter out of view. Simulataneously, a second conveyor belt carries a simulated clean version of the same figure which appears to emerge from the water body having been cleaned.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,730,177 issued to VanCleave sets forth a DOLL FOR INSTRUCTION IN COLOR in which a yarn and string figure is provided with a head bearing a facial representation. The head portions of the dolls are coated with a layer of waterproof paint over which a watercolor paint is disposed. During immersion the watercolor portion of the paint is dissolved in the water coloring the same and permitting complimentary color combinations to instruct the user in color combinations.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,935,353 issued to Coventry sets forth a TOY having toy figures which are coated with a permanent water resisting coating. The toy figures are surface adapted to permit additional water soluble colors to be disposed on the toy figure and removed therefrom on a repetitive basis.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,445,994 issued to Benson, et al. sets forth a TOY formed of a cotton washcloth utilizing certain dyes which change color when exposed to different pH solutions.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,931,136 issued to Loewy sets forth DOLL HEADS which change complexion by manipulation of the doll from one position to another. The doll head portion is filled with various liquids having different colors and having diffent specific gravities which present different colorings within the facial area of the doll in response to positional changes.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,238,599 issued to Bauman sets forth a PADDING METHOD for use in fabricating a doll figure.
While the foregoing described prior art dolls provide some changeable features which enhance the amusement and play value of dolls and toy figures, there remains a continuing need in the art for ever more increasing amusement and play value in dolls and toy figures.